Civics

Discussions about the 2024 bid were supposed to take place soon after the conclusion of the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games on August 15th. The Games have passed, the September 15th deadline is looming, and the trio of organizers -- Bob Richardson, Marcel Aubut, and Mayor John Tory -- have gone commando silent. They haven't offered a peep about procedures or timelines. We don't know with whom or how these discussions will take place. Why the secrecy? Where is the transparency and accountability in the Toronto 2024 bid process?

A citizen-based view of elections takes the view that voter participation independent of party is an important democratic goal in itself. That our democracy is healthier and stronger if more citizens exercised their right to vote habitually. Only one player in the electoral process has this interest at its core, and that is the independent, non-partisan Chief Electoral Officer.

Canada prides itself on its youth. We score sixth on the Organization for Economic and Co-operative Development's international evaluations of the education of 15-year-olds around the world. But some students are missing from these evaluations: the test is not administered to First Nations students, or students with intellectual disabilities, or newcomers learning English or French, or incarcerated youth. How many young people are we going to sweep under the rug?